Thursday Kickoff: Juve reject record bid for Pogba; Ribery doubtful for next Bayern match; and more

Juventus are facing a difficult future in their battle to hold on to Paul Pogba.

The French National Team midfielder is currently the top transfer target of a number of clubs, and according to reports in Italy, Juventus received and rejected a €70 million transfer bid from Paris Saint-Germain for Pogba. The Serie A leaders are currently working on re-signing Pogba to a new deal that would pay him €4 million per season for five years, up from his current deal of €500,000 per season.

The reports add that both Real Madrid and Chelsea are interested in the 20-year-old, though it’s unknown whether they could afford to pay Juventus more than the €70 million they’re asking for.

Pogba has in the last 12 months become a fixture in Juventus’ lineup. So far this season he’s made 27 appearances in all competitions for his club, scoring six goals, all in Serie A.

Here are some more stories to kick off your morning:

ROBBEN RETURNS TO TRAINING BUT SCHWEINSTEIGER, MARTINEZ, MAYBE RIBERY OUT

Franck Ribery’s chance to prove the Ballon d’Or voters wrong may have to wait a few more days.

Bayern Munich resume their defense of the Bundesliga title on Friday against Borussia Mönchengladbach and while Arjen Robben is back in full training, they will likely be without at least three starters for the first game following the winter break.

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez have been ruled out while Ribery reportedly complained of a pain in his leg, leaving his status doubtful over Friday’s match. Robben is also a doubt having missed the last seven weeks of action as he recovered from a nasty gash to his knee.

According to Bayern manager Pep Guardiola, Schweinsteiger, who has struggled from a myriad of injuries all season, is now suffering from a patellar tendon problem.

Southampton will be without three of their key starters for at least the next three games.

The English Premier League club announced on Thursday that they’ve suspended forward Dani Osvaldo for two weeks after the Argentine-born Italian forward was in an “incident” at the club’s training ground. It’s not the first time that Osvaldo has found himself in trouble, running into incidents in the past while at Roma.

Multiple unconfirmed reports in England and Italy state that Osvaldo was in a fight with teammate Jose Fonte. Sunderland signed Osvaldo from Roma last August for €15.1 million (around $20 million).

Meanwhile, Sunderland also confirmed that both Gaston Ramirez and Dejan Lovren will miss at least six to eight weeks with ankle ligament injuries. Ramirez has played 12 times this season while Ramirez has made 20 appearances for the Saints.

QUICK KICKS

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has submitted his resignation following the scandal around the transfer of Neymar. (REPORT)

Manchester City has completed the purchase of Australian club Melbourne Heart with an 80 percent stake in the A-League team. (REPORT)

Bayern Munich are working to extend the contract of midfielder Toni Kroos, but the negotiations have stalled. Kroos current deal ends in the summer of 2015. (REPORT)

Turkish National Team and Bayer Leverkusen defender Ömer Toprak has extended his contract through June 2018. (REPORT)

that may be true, but dan’s reporting is incorrect. rosell has not (yet) submitted his resignation, and even the linked source (AS) says no such thing. he’s *expected* to resign, but nothing’s happened yet.